Mok Hing Yiu Charitable Foundation 莫慶堯慈善基金
In 2012, the Mok Hing Yiu Charitable Foundation generously donated a sum to the University to set up a scholarship for medical students in memory of the Dr Mok Hing Yiu 莫慶堯 (MBBS 1947, DSocSc 2009), a dedicated HKU alumnus whose family has long-standing ties with the University.
Dr Mok was born in 1923 and is the great-grandson of Mr Mok See Yeng (莫仕揚), who was the first comprador of the British firm Butterfield and Swire. Laying the basis for a family tradition, his great grandfather involved himself in philanthropic work and served in 1872 as the first Chairman of the Tung Wah Hospital which, at the time, was the only charitable institution in Hong Kong.
Dr Mok’s father, Mr Mok Kon Sang (莫幹生), was a generous benefactor of this University and in 1921 donated the sum of $50,000, which at the time was a considerable amount of money. He was appointed a life member of the Court and established a scholarship, the Mok Kon Sang Donor Scholarships, which still exist today.
In 1939, at the unusually young age of 16, Dr Mok Hing Yiu entered the Medical Faculty of The University of Hong Kong as a King Edward VII Scholar. King Edward VII Scholarships were awarded annually to the top matriculating student entering HKU. His studies were interrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War and he received a wartime MBBS degree from HKU in 1947.
From volunteering with the Air Raid Precaution corps and the Auxiliary Medical Service during the War to acting as Tung Wah Group of Hospitals pro bono consultant physician on a regular basis as well as giving considerable support to various charitable organisations, Dr Mok spent his life dedicated to the well-being of others in the areas of education, religion and social welfare.
He also contributed significantly to his alma mater. He was an Honorary Lecturer in Medicine at this University and served as the President of the HKU Alumni Association. In 2007 he generously endowed the Mok Hing Yiu Professorship of Respiratory Medicine and in 2008 established the Mok Hing Yiu Distinguished Visiting Professorships.
Dr Mok’s devotion to the community has been upheld by his family, which is continuing his legacy of philanthropy for the betterment of Hong Kong. And, through the set-up of Dr Mok Hing Yiu Scholarships, the Mok Family hopes to inspire the younger generation to have the compassion to serve and help others in need.
